Pelzer EMS to station ambulance at Three and Twenty Fire Department

By Stan Welch
The Anderson County Council accepted a proposal from the Pelzer EMS to station a full service ambulance to the Three and Twenty Fire Department for the same cost as the quick response vehicle (QRV) which is currently servicing that area.
The QRV is unsuited for patient transport and is manned by less trained personnel. The QRV at Three and Twenty is the last one in service in the county. Public Safety Committee Chairman Ray Graham called the decision to accept the offer “ a no brainer. It’s a much bigger bang for the buck.”
District Six Councilman Ken Waters, whose district includes the area, said he was very excited about the proposal. “This is like a Christmas present. This is the level of service all our citizens deserve and I am happy to vote to accept this offer. I appreciate the Pelzer squad stepping up like this.”
In other business, District Seven Councilwoman Cindy Wilson reported on the public meeting she and Councilman Graham hosted last week at the Cheddar firehouse. A number of Cheddar residents were on hand to lodge complaints about the Anderson Regional Landfill (ARL) and its operations.
The focus of the meeting was twofold. There were a number of issues that were theoretically addressed in the original FIN process when the ARL was originally established and sold to Allied Waste. According to the residents, many of the conditions established have not been complied with, including hours of operation; truck routes in and out of the facility; the establishment of an advisory committee, and the elevation of the lateral expansion, among others.
The related focus of the meeting was to include additional conditions and restrictions during the FIN process that is required during the negotiations of a new contract with Waste Connections, the latest incarnation of the company operating ARL. Key among those issues is the care and maintenance of various roads in the area, such as Big Creek Road, Rector Road and Murphy Road. The intention of the audience was to prohibit all truck traffic on Murphy Road.
There was also a widespread demand that the host fees received by the county (approximately $700,000 last year) should be diverted to the Cheddar community to the fire department to fund additional equipment and training in order to handle potential problems at the tank farm.
Councilman Graham said that many of the issues could be managed with a minimum of effort or regulation. But he added that not all the issues raised are under the county’s control. “There are some things that we just can’t take on ourselves. That landfill is here to stay. But that’s no reason we shouldn’t do what we can, where we can.”